Teaching Artists & Performers
"Connecting Artists to Opportunities."
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Zeda Stew is a poet and writer originally from Milwaukee WI, currently residing in the Cincinnati area who is ranked #5 nationwide. Zeda’s work is centered around life experience taking an empathetic view on life’s plights. Striving to live in her purpose she shares her views through her writing. Her first poetry book is coming soon Title “In Sight, but Not Seen.”
She has been a teaching artist for the last two years with Cincinnati Public Schools and Charter Schools, and is an English as a Second Language (ESL) educator. She has over 14 years in mental health working with hospice patients. Also, she is a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter. She is a spoken word artist and ranks 5th in the nation.
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Faith Marie is born in Dayton and currently residing in Cincinnati, OH. She holds a B.A. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as a Master's in Public Health from the Ohio State University. With a strong focus on leveraging art and nature to deepen self-awareness, well-being, and access to justice, Faith is deeply passionate about engaging these domains as valuable sources of knowledge. She believes language is a form of empowerment and conscious raising. Her poetic form focuses on identity, personhood, heritage, and observation.
Singer/Teaching Artist: Shree Phillips is a dynamic strongstress with a soulful, gospel sound that relates to all crowds. Her love of music grew in her high school years when she was selected All-State an All-Festival from the choir at Middlesboro High School in Kentucky. She later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where she began singing in New Born Lite Band and Show at the age of nineteen. Then she joined Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company (Now Duke Energy) Choir where she was a member for ten years. She has performed at countless funerals, weddings, and events and travels nationwide with Regal Rhythms Poetry LLC.
Teaching /Spoken Word Artist: A Slate is a scribe, mother, servant, film writer, recording artist, actress, international spoken word artist, and friend. She is the founder of Light Every Path, which houses The WRITElife Village, a platform designed for youth to creatively express themselves without judgment, bias, or fear, through poetry. Slate is a 2019 TEDxDayton speaker, and performer. She is also the writer and director of, “Five Graceful Shifts,” a 2020 Woman Scream Festival Film, and Culture Works Sponsored Collection, that speaks to mental illness and art as therapy. Empowered by The Most High God and Ephesians 2:8-10, she strives to aspire, inspire, edify, and encourage.
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Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: An internationally renowned Latina author from Mexico City, Violeta Orozco is a bilingual poet, performer and fiction writer who has earned numerous accolades for her two full-length poetry collections: The Broken Woman Diaries (Andante Books 2022), winner of the Juan Felipe Herrera Gold Medal for the best book of poetry in English and the Rising Stars Award at the International Latino Book Award, and Stillness in the Land of Speed (Jacar Press 2023), winner of the New Voices Poetry Award and a Pushcart nomination. Her forthcoming collection Atlas of An Ancient World will be published by Black Lawrence Press and a poem in the collection recently received an honorific mention by the Academy of American Poets.
Her fiction has received support from the Macondo Writer's Workshop in Texas and the writing residency of the Community of Writers of the High Sierra in California. She is a member of the board of Circulo de Poetas and Writers in California and has published individual poems in magazines such as A Gathering of the Tribes online magazine, Chicana/Latina Journal, The Journal of Latina Critical Feminism, Harvard's Palabritas, Label me Latina, Cloud Women's Quarterly Journal, Xinachtli Journal, Snarl Journal, IceFloe Press, among many others. She is currently completing her Ph.D. researching and translating Chicano and Latin American Literature, with a concentration in Creative writing at University of Cincinnati. She is also the translator of Sonia Gutiérrez' novel Dreaming with Mariposas into Spanish.
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Makiah Malan is a fierce poet from Covington, Kentucky. Her art focuses on social and political issues she has witnessed at the heart of her community. Beginning early in her life as just an outlet, her poetry represents the ideas, battles, and absolute glory of being a woman. She has been performing for 2 years and has won 3 poetry slams, 2 contests, and 2 awards.
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Teaching/Singing/Spoken Word Artist: Rosemarie Wilson a.k.a. One Single Rose®️ is an award-winning poet and playwright, spoken word artist, singer, actress, filmmaker, author of three self-published poetry collections, nice and naughty chapbooks. Rosemarie is the first poet to be filmed in Motown’s infamous Studio A and the first Motown Mic Performance Artist of the Year. Debuting in Detroit as an actor, she has performed nationally and internationally in a few amazing productions. Her notable performances include singing the National Anthem at a Detroit Piston’s game, TMZ Live commentary cast member, SoFar Detroit performing artist, the Floacist’s Flovertex and Sidewalk Festivals of the Performing Arts in Detroit, MI, Kistrech Poetry Festival in Kisii and Nairobi, Kenya, Piton International Film Festival in St. Lucia, International Videopoetry Festival in Athens, Greece as well as a one-year tour in Europe. She is currently a featured artist and songwriter dubbed Queen Rose with Defected Records, the United Kingdom’s #1 house music record label. Find her streaming on all platforms as One Single Rose®️ or Queen Rose. She is also the first poet published under the Broadside-Lotus Press merger, two of the oldest African-American presses in the United States. As a poetry host, she has hosted various open mics as well as performed for local and international dignitaries. For more information on One Single Rose®️, visit www.onesinglerose.com to peek into her rose garden.
Norman Riggs, Jr. (aka "Knowledge") was born in Cincinnati Ohio. Experiencing the Civil Rights Movement at a young age, inspires him today to speak out against social injustice and racism. He is a member of Poets Against Racism & Hate, the Ohio Poetry Association, a trainer for Poetry Out Loud, Regal Rhythms Poetry and Arts Equity Collective. He is a published author of "Lil of A Lot (and then some)" released in 2020, and "What I See" released in 2022. Both books are a collection of poems. He has hosted and performed several poetic events, performances, and poetry slams.
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Nick Fury is an author and spoken word poet born in Cincinnati Ohio. Former member of the Blood Speaks Slam Team, and current Slam Master of the Def Poets Society Slam Team. First published in 2004 in "Invoking The Muse", a collection of poems by The International Library For Poetry. His debut collection "Hashtags" was released in 2019.
Teaching/Singing/Spoken Word Artist: MoPoetry Phillips is a national spoken word artist, who graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She is both the co-founder of Regal Rhythms Poetry LLC, which also curates Hit the Mic Cincy’s Open Mic, and founder of the nonprofit, Arts Equity Collective. She facilitates weekly writing circles, empowerment workshops, summer camps, and events within the schools, colleges, corporations, jail, and prison systems to use her creativity to make learning fun and engaging. Also, she curates, recruits artist, and creates empowerment and educational workshops. As a Middlesboro, Kentucky native, she is part of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition (UACC). She is currently serving on the Juneteenth Committee, Board of Kids4Peace, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for Women Writing for a Change where she previously served as a Board Member for two years. MoPoetry Phillips has been highlighted in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Herald, Street Vibes, Urban One Radio, WCVG, and WVXU Cincinnati Edition. Her passion is to unify spoken word artists to utilize their artistry to create a greater impact within the community, and to connect artists to opportunities.
Nanci J. Mays has spent 19 years as an educator for middle school students and is currently a teacher at St. Clements Catholic School. Previously, she has worked within the Cincinnati Public Schools as a paraprofessional and as an alternative learning instructor (ALS) which is a nontraditional education that puts the child at the center of learning rather than the teacher. Alternative learners are kids who struggle with everything from minor organizational problems to diagnosed issues such as learning difficulties, ADHD, or Autism Spectrum Conditions . She attended the University of Cincinnati and received a B.A. in English. She has been in education since 2006. In 2012, she received her M.A. in Christian Studies from Grand Canyon University with an emphasis in leadership and she speaks fluent Russian. In addition, she is part of the Cincinnati Youth Poetry Slam (CYPS) administrators and teaching artists which work to train students for spoken word competitons.
Jacqueline "Gifted" Johnson-Wilkinson's artistic creations started about 18 years ago. She has been a part of hosting a poetry vibe, known as SpokenWord Soul for 16 years at the legendary Greenwich. She has used her talents to become a catalyst to expand interest and access to poetry through reading, writing, speaking, and overall foster the love of language. She has hosted and participated in several poetic events and educational programs, elevating, and creating awareness with participants. “Gifted” is currently serving as the interim Executive Director of Mt. Healthy Alliance. She is the author of Books: Joy in Sorrow, Hope for Tomorrow, My 30 (2020 Vision), and Ripples which will be released in 2023.
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Ashley Harris (aka Poetic wisdom) is a Cincinnati native who grew up in a system of care (Foster system, Mental Health) and found the love for poetry when she went through her own mental health. Poetic wisdom feels her poetry is the healing not only for herself, but to help heal the world back with love, acceptance and knowing that broken crayons still make amazing masterpieces. Poetic wisdom hopes to empower, encourage, and inspire others through her poetry.
Teaching/Spoken Word Artist: Victoria Cipriani is an independently licensed social worker. Victoria has a passion for change and uses her poetry to spread knowledge about human rights, social justice, mental health, and diversity.